Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has said that an oil spill caused by a sunken tanker is a national calamity. Mrs Arroyo made the comments two weeks after the tanker went down, amid delays to clean-up and containment operations. A salvage ship sent to assess the state of the vessel had developed problems and would be delayed, officials said. The spill, near the central Philippines island of Guimaras, has affected hundreds of kilometres of coastline and threatens rich fishing grounds. Oily sludge and dead wildlife have been washing up on beaches, with reefs, marine reserves and the tourist industry all affected. The pollution is also causing health problems to residents and health officials say one man died on Wednesday after breathing toxic fumes from the spill. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

The US Army is to conduct a review of several hundred deaths of its soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The move comes in response to complaints from families of those who died that they have not always been given accurate information. In one high-profile case, the family of former American football star Pat Tillman were told he had been killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. Corp Tillman died in friendly fire but the truth took five weeks to emerge. The review will compare initial reports of casualties since 2001 with the results of follow-up investigations to check for discrepancies. A spokesman for the US Army, Brig General Anthony Cucolo, described the review as rigorous and routine. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5284336.stm

Deadly storms swept across the northern Plains, bringing tornadoes that ripped roofs off houses and hail that smashed car windshields. A 90-year-old man was killed when a tornado hit his home in Minnesota on Thursday, and in Wisconsin, lightning apparently killed a dozen cows and struck a woman as she left a supermarket. Twisters, heavy rain and hail as big as grapefruit also struck the Dakotas, stripping trees of their leaves, and power was knocked out around the region. The dangerous weather even spread to the east coast. The prospect of a rare tornado in New York loomed over the city briefly Friday morning, but the National Weather Service canceled its warning and said no tornado touched down anywhere...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/25/national/main1934374.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1934374

The Israeli government came under increased pressure today with the publication of a newspaper poll showing that for the first time a majority want Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign over perceived failings in his handling of the war with Hizbullah.A poll in the mass-circulation Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper showed 63% want Mr Olmert to go. The defence minister, Amir Peretz, appears even more vulnerable with 74% calling for his resignation, while 54% want the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, to resign as well.The poll reflects growing disillusionment within Israeli society about the 34-day conflict with Hizbullah and the fact that the country emerged without any clear victory over the Lebanese militia. The two Israeli soldiers whose capture triggered the conflict are still not free. The war claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers....http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1858513,00.html

A fire gutted a 19th century cathedral in the heart of Russia's second city on Friday, destroying its famous azure domes which attract thousands of tourists every year. As flames leapt from the main dome of the Troitsky (Trinity) Cathedral -- one of the largest wooden domes in Europe -- passers-by helped to rescue priceless artifacts from its renowned art and religious icon collection. "The fire services don't have long enough ladders to reach the top of the dome. They have been aiming their water guns at the middle section," Reuters photographer Alexander Demyanchuk said by telephone from outside the cathedral. The cathedral had been covered by wooden scaffolding during reconstruction work when the fire started. "The main dome has been destroyed but we could not stop the fire because it was so high and now other domes are in flames," a spokesman for Russia's emergencies ministry told Interfax news agency...http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/ts_nm/russia_fire_dc

South Korea and China have agreed to cooperate to prevent a possible nuclear test by North Korea amid increasing reports citing suspicious activity in the communist nation, Seoul's presidential security adviser said Friday. A nuclear test by the communist North would be "a grave situation of a different level from missile launches," Song Min-soon said after returning from a two-day trip to China, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. "South Korea and China have agreed to continue cooperation not to let that situation occur," Song was quoted as saying. He did not elaborate on how the two countries would cooperate. South Korea and China, along with Japan, Russia and the United States, have tried to convince the North to abandon its nuclear program at six-party negotiations that have been on hold since November...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/25/ap/world/mainD8JNH7280.shtml